Electromagnetic device



July 31, 1962 A, RlCE 3,047,693

ELECTROMAGNETIC DEVICE Filed June lo, 1957 #i if if Z ` 'ze 65 LA v Q 7Hl .9

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h Il E y A INVENTOR.

Ag l man ce United States Patent ware Filed June 10, 1957, Ser. No.664,804 15 Claims. (Cl. 200-98) This invention relates toelectromagnetic devices and more particularly to an improvedelectromagnetic relay structure wherein the support for the stationarycontact is carried above the relay armature on a projection secured tothe relay magnetic core.

Among the problems encountered during the manufacture of electromagneticdevices, such as relays of the vibratory types, is the contacts of therelay frequently are misaligned and the setting of the air gap betweenthe relay magnetic core and the armature is difficult to accomplish.These problems are particularly troublesome when the relays areassembled automatically. When the manufacturing techniques now in useare employed, it is necessary to manually bend the individual contactsupports of the relay to obtain proper .alignment between the contactsand to manually bend or adjust certain parts of the relay to obtain thedesired air gap clearance.

The relay construction of the present invention avoids both of the abovedifficulties .as well as provides an arrangement of parts which willconsiderably reduce the lead wires or connections which have beenheretofore necessary. The construction further will reduce toV a minimumthe effects of the stack up of dimensional tolerances now encountered inthe present day relay production.

It is an object, therefore, to provide a relay construction which willminimize the effects of stack up of dimensional tolerances and willprovide a relay structure wherein the air gap may be adjustedautomatically.

A further object of the present invention is to provide the magneticcore of a relay with a projection which is used to locate the armatureand stationary contacts for the relay.

Another object of the present invention is to carry the stationarycontact for a relay on a threaded projection on the relay core.

-A still further object of the present invention is to provide athreaded nonmagnetic projection on the core of an electromagnetic relaywhich projection has a tapered portion which will correctly position thearmature for the relay, when the hinge portion of the armature issecured to a support and will adjustably position a stationary contactsupport so the air gap of the relay can be adjusted when the stationarycontact support is threadedly adjusted on the threaded portion.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a common supportfor the stationary contacts of a pair of relays which are secured to acommon base which common support is adjustably carried on a threadedprojection on the magnetic cores of the relays.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings wherein preferred embodiments of the present invention areclearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a top plan View showing a pair of relays incorporating thefeatures of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged View of a portion of the parts of the relays inFIGURE l taken along line 2-2 in FIGURE l.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged'view of a portion ofthe ice parts used in therelay in FIGURE l taken along line 3-3 in FIGURE l.

In FIGURE l, a current and voltage regulator 20 is shown, typical of thetype used in present day vehicle battery charging systems. Thisregulator 20 includes a cut-out relay, not shown, which is locatedbeneath the unbroken portion of the cover 22. The regulator alsoincludes a current regulating relay 24 and a voltage regulating relay26. These relays are circuited, in the conventional manner in thebattery charging system. The current regulator relay 24 has an actuatingcoil winding 28 connected in series between the generator and battery toopen the contacts 30 and 32 when the current output of the generatorexceeds a predetermined value. The voltage regulating relay 26 has aconventional coil winding connected to open the contacts 34 and 36whenever the Voltage output of the generatorV exceeds a predeter minedvalue.

The present invention is directed to an arrangement `which will providefor proper alignment between the contacts of the relays 24 and 26 duringmanufacture and an arrangement which will permit the air gaps of theserelays 24 and 26 to be adjusted without difliculty.

When the relays, such as shown in the Rady Patents 2,348,263 and2,377,265, are manufactured, diculties are frequently encountered inobtaining the correct alignment between the contact points. Thesedifficulties are largely the result of variations of dimensionaltolerances, which during manufacture will stack up to cause misalgnmentof the contacts.

The present invention is directed to alleviate these diiculties and toprovide a relay structure wherein the contacts will be in ,alignment andwhich will permit the,

air gap to be adjusted automatically by a machine if desired.

The regulator `in FIGURE l is provided with a base 39 which may besecured to provide a grounded electrical connection for the electricalcomponents in the relay. In the preferred embodiment of the invention,theY the relays, respectively, includes the magnetic iron parts,

50 and 52, the spring hinge 54 and 56 and the spring anchors 58 and 60.The arrangement of these parts is most clearly shown in Patent2,377,265. When the relays 24 `and 26 are assembled, the spring hinges54 and 56 are respectively welded to the supports 46 and 48. The springanchors 58 and 60 have springs 59 and 61, respectively, connectedthereto to constantly urge the respective con* tacts 30 and 32 and 34and 36 into engagement as shown. Each of the armatures Sti-SZ isprovided with an opening 62 which is of suflcient size to provide aclearance with the projections 64 and 65 of nonmagnetic materiall whichare secured to the ends of the respective cores 42 and 44 as is shown inFIGURE 3. In the embodiment shown, the projections 64 and 65 eachconsist of a screw Iwhich is formed of nonmagnetic material such asbrass. The projections 64 and 65 have tapered end portions 66 and 67which are respectively secured adjacent to the top at surface of thecores 42 and 44. The threaded portions 68 and 69 of the projections 64and 65 extend through the openings 62 and appreciably above the topsurface of the individual relays 24 and 26.

The support 76 for the stationary contacts 30` and 34 is shaped as mostclearly seen in FIGURE l. The support is provided with a pair ofopenings shown as 72 in FIGURE 3 and a pair of openings shownl as :74 inaces/,eee

FIGURE 3 which are spaced and located to be respectively aligned withthe pair of openings shown as '76 in FIGURE 3 and the pair of openingsshown as 62 in FIG- URE 3 in the armatures 50 and 52. The openings 72are used to position contacts 30 and 34. The openings 76 are used toposition contacts 32 and 36. The openings 72 and 74 in the support 70are located on the same centers as openings 76 and 62 in the armature50. This is easy to achieve in production and may be accomplished ifdesired by using the same die punch to stamp out the openings in therespective parts. The support 7i) is carried on the projections 64 and65 by means of a nylon nut '73 and an annular spring washer 80 whichmaintains the support 70 in rm engagement in the groove in the nut. Thenut 78 is preferably formed of nylon and is of the selftapping variety.That is, the thread portion 68 will bite into the nylon material of thenut to form threads therein. These threads will rmly lock the nut andthreaded portion together once the adjustment is made. The use of nylonnuts in this environment is well known. The spring Washer 80 ismaintained in tight engagement with the armature 70 by the flange 82.The flange 82 has a larger outer diameter than both the opening 74 andthe inner opening in the washer S0. The nuts 78 and Washers 30 areassembled in the openings 74 in the support 70 before the support 70 isassembled on the threaded portions 68. The nylon material of the nut,being reasonably flexible, will permit the flanges 82 to be compressedso the anges 82 will pass through the openings 74 and the inner openingin the washer Si). After the support 78 is lassembled to the projections64 and 65, the threaded portions 68 will stress the flexible material ofthe nuts 78 yand thereby cause the spring washer and the support 70 tobe tightly pressed between the iianges 82 and the shoulders 83 on thenuts 7S.

When the parts of the regulator are assembled, it may be preferable toiirst secure the relay cores 42 and 44 and the armature supports 46 and48 to the base. rhe relay armature assembly 38 for the current regulatorrelay 24 and the armature assembly 40 for the voltage regulator relay 26are then secured to the respective supports 46 and 48 by suitablyattaching, as by welding, the spring hinges 54 and 56 to the supports 46and 48. During the welding of the spring hinges 54 and 56 to supports 46and `48, the armatures `50 and 52 are positioned so the material of thearmatures which surrounds openings 62 is in contact with the taperedportions 66 and 67, to thus locate the armatures 5t) and S2 relative tothe projections 64 and 65 respectively. The spacing between the contacts32 and 36 during the Welding operation is maintained -by a suitableiixture, not shown, which will locate the contacts 32 and 36 so thedistance between contacts 32 and 36 is equal to the distance between thepair of openings 72 wherein contacts 3Q and 34 are secured.

After the armature assemblies 38 and 48 are thus secured to supports 46and 48, the support 70 for the stationary contacts and 34 is assembledon the projections 64 and `65. In this connection, any variations in thedistance between the projections 64 and 65 is compensated by providingthe support 78 with the opening 84 twhich will permit the support toslightly bend if necessary. It is clearly apparent that the constructionof the support 70` and its location on the projection will permit thesupport to Ibe assembled with the remaining components of the regulatorautomatically by a machine which will position the support 70 on theprojections 64 and 65 and then thread the nuts 78 on the portions 68 and69. The threading action of the machine will cease when the contacts 30and 34 engage contacts 32 and 36 respectively. The position of contacts32 and `36 is dictated by the thickness of the removable spacers 86which have a predetermined thickness to provide the proper air gapbetween the armature assemblies 38 and 40 and cores 42 and 44. After thesupport 'itl is thus adjustably positioned on the `cores `46 and 48, thespacer 86 is removed.

As heretofore stated, the projections 64 and 65 are formed ofnonmagnetic material. This will prevent the projections 64 and 65 fromproviding a -magnetic shortcircuit path for the flux generated by cores42 and 44 and will provide an arrangement whereby the stationarycontacts for the relay may be carried by a threaded projection on therelay core to provide a relay structure which will permit the relayparts to be readily assembled and adjusted without difficultiesheretofore encountered.

While the embodiments of the present invention as herein disclosedconstitute preferred forms, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

l. ln an electromagnetic device, the combination comprising; a magneticcore, a coil winding surrounding at least a portion of a core, anextension projecting from one end of the core, an armature spaced fromthe core and adapted to be attracted by the core in response toenergization of the coil winding, a contact on the armature, astationary contact engageable with the contact carried on the armature,a support for the stationary contact, and a member formed of insulatingImaterial having an adjustable connection with said extension andcarrying said support.

2. In an electromagnetic device, the combination comprising; a magneticcore, a coil winding surrounding at least a portion of the core, athreaded extension projecting from one end of the core, an armaturespaced from the core and arranged to be attracted toward the core inrespouse to the energization of the coil winding, a contact on thearmature, a stationary contact engageable by the contact on thearmature, and a support for the stationary contact including aninsulating part having a threaded connection with the threadedprojection on the core.

3. In an electromagnetic device, the combination comprising; a magneticcore, a coil winding surrounding at least Ia portion of the core, athreaded portion projecting from one end of the core, an armatureyspaced from the core and arranged to be attracted toward the core inresponse to the energization of the coil winding, a contact carried onthe armature, a stationary contact arranged for engagement with theContact on the armature, a support for the stationary contact, and ameans having a threaded connection with the projection adjustablyconnecting the support to the projection.

4. In an electromagnetic device, the combination comprising; a magneticcore, a coil Winding surrounding at least a portion of the core, athreaded projection extending upwardly from one end of the core, anarmature spaced from the core and surrounding said projection, a contactcarried by the armature, a stationary contact engageable by the contactcarried on the armature, and a means carried by said projection forsupporting the stationary contact.

5. In an electromagnetic device, the combination comprising; a magneticcore, a coil winding surrounding at least a portion of the core, anar-mature spaced from the core and adapted to be attracted by the corein response to the energization of the coil winding, said armaturehaving an opening therein aligned with the core, a projection on one endof the core having a threaded portion extending through the opening inthe armature, a movable contact carried by the armature arranged toengage a stationary contact, and a support for the stationary contactengaging the threaded portion of the projection.

6. In an electromagnetic device, the combination comprising; a pair ofelectromagnetic relays mounted side by side wherein each relay has; amagnetic core, a coil winding surrounding a portion of the core, aprojection having a threaded portion on the core, an armature spacedfrom both the core and projection, a movable contact carried by thearmature to be engageable with a stationary contact and a common supportfor the stationary contacts for both relays having a threaded connectionwith the threaded projections of both relays.

7. In an electromagnetic device, the combination comprising; `a pair ofelectromagnetic relays mounted side by side on a common base, whereineach relay of said pair includes; a magnetic core, a coil windingarranged to induce a magnetic force in said core, an armature normallyspaced from the core and arranged to be attracted by the magnetic forceinduced therein, a movable contact carried by the armature arranged toengage a stationary contact, a projection on each core extending up'-wardly from said base, and a common support for the stationary contactsof both relays carried by the projections on both relays.

8. In an electromagnetic device, the combination comprising; a pair ofelectromagnetic relays mounted side by side on a common base, each ofsaid relays having; a magnetic core, a coil winding energizable forinducing a magnetic flux in said core, an armature normally spaced abovethe core and arranged to be moved toward the core by the magneticattraction of the core, said armature having an opening therein alignedwith the core, a movable contact carriedby the armature arranged toengage a stationary contact, and a projection on the core extendingupwardly through the opening in the armature, and a common support forthe stationary contacts of both relays, carried by the projections onthe cores of both relays.

9. In an electromagnetic device, the combination cornprising; a support,a magnetic core carried by the support, a coil Winding for inducing amagnetic ilux in said core, an armature carried by said support andspaced at a predetermined distance from said support, a nonmagneticthreaded projection on the core, a movable contact carried by thearmature arranged to engage a stationary contact and a support for thestationary contact including an insulating member having a threadedengagement with the projection.

10. In a method of assembly of an electromagnetic device, the stepscomprising; securing a spacer of nonmagnetic material to the end of amagnetic core, positioning the armature for the electromagnetic deviceon the spacer while simultaneously securing a hinge for the armature toa support, positioning a removable spacer of predetermined thicknessbetween the armature and core and adjustably moving a support for astationary contact on the rst mentioned spacer until the stationarycontact engages a movable contact carried by the armature for obtaininga predetermined air gap between the armature and core when the removablespacer is removed.

11. In an electromagnetic device, the combination comprising; a base, arelay having a magnetic core and an armature support secured to andinsulated from said base, a second relay having a magnetic core andarmature support secured in electrical contact on said base, each ofsaid relays having; a nonmagnetic projection secured to the end of thecore remote from the base, an

armature having an opening therein for receiving the projection andsecured to the respective armature supports in clearance relation withthe core and projection, and a movable contact carried by the armaturearranged to normally engage a stationary contact, and a common supportfor the stationary contacts of both relays carried by the projections onboth relays and arranged to cond-uct electric current between theinsulated armature support and the armature support electricallyconnected to the base when the contacts of both relays are closed.

12. The combination as set forth in claim 11 wherein the projections onthe respective relay cores include a threaded portion which will permitthe support for the stationary contact to be adjusted relative to thecores.

13. The combination as set forth in claim 11 wherein the projections onthe respective relay cores each include a threaded portion which willpermit the support for the stationary contact to be adjusted relative tothe core and a tapered portion between the threaded portion and the corewhich will locate the armature relative to the core when the armature issecured to the contact support.

14. The combination as set forth in claim 12 wherein the support for thestationary contact includes a selftapping nylon nut which threadedlyengages the thread portion of the projection.

15. In an electromagnetic device, the combination comprising; a magneticcore, a coil winding surrounding atleast a portion of the core, a fixedthreaded member, an armature spaced from the core and arranged to beattracted toward the core in response to the energization of the coilwinding, a contact on the armature, a stationary contact engageable bythe contact on the armature, and a support for the stationary contactincluding a part formed of insulating material having a threadedconnection with said threaded member whereby said support may beadjusted relative to said threaded member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS524,773 Wheless Aug. 21, 1894 909,594 Heinze Jan. 12, 1909 1,140,433Ames May 25, 1915 1,923,613 Carley et al Aug. 22, 1933 2,082,493 HartmanJune 1, 1937 2,127,887 Rayburn Aug. 23, 1938 2,345,151 Ray Mar. 28, 19442,364,684 Aust Dec. 12, 1944 2,453,774 Basista Nov. 16, 1948 2,505,225Akroyd Apr. 25, 1950 2,519,093 Zoerlein Aug. 15, 1950 2,523,020Hehenkamp et al Sept. 19, 1950 2,725,616 Epstein Dec. 6, 1955 Lace,*rrr-:r2

